Academic Review 2024

32 ST EDWARD’S, OXFORD

Immortal cells of Henrietta Lacks Henrietta Lacks is sometimes referred to as the ‘mother of modern medicine’ (Moorhead, 2010). Her immortal cells have helped in various scientific discoveries and therapeutic developments. The Johns Hopkins Hospital was the only hospital in Baltimore which would provide her with care when she had cancer in 1951 but still, like other institutions, the hospital was segregated. In the gynaecology clinic for “coloured” people privacy was not important as glass walls were used so it was possible to see inside each cubicle in the clinic (Levine, 2011). At the age of 30 she was diagnosed with cervical cancer. Some of the tissue that was used for her biopsy was used for tissue culture research without her or her family’s knowledge and consent. Dr George Gey and his team of lab technicians named the cells HeLa to avoid litigation and disguise her identity as they knew High rates of maternal mortality in women of colour in the UK and the US ‘Being pregnant in the UK has never been safer’ (Shennan, Green, & Chappell, 2017). However, this is not the case for all women. In the UK between 2012 and 2015, 8.5 women per 100,000 died before, after or during pregnancy (Knight, et al., 2016). Black women are five times more likely to die in pregnancy, childbirth or in the postpartum period than white women (Sowemimo, 2020). Asian women are twice as likely to die as a result of pregnancy and childbirth (Summers, 2021). Many Black, brown, and mixed women feel unsafe as they are being denied pain relief because of racial stereotypes. They are often denied more pain relief because of racial stereotypes which include the “strong Black woman” narrative (Kasprzak, 2019) which can cause many women not to speak up. Gestational diabetes is more prevalent in women from ethnic minority groups compared with white women (Dornhorst, et al., 1992). Pre eclampsia, premature birth and induced labour are a few effects of gestational diabetes. Exposure to racism and bias during, before or after labour increases stress levels in mothers making chances of survival smaller. If the 37 weeks of pregnancy have not been completed, then the baby is said to be born prematurely (Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, 2021). Preterm birth is a common complication which can be linked to high levels of stress. In the US premature delivery is 49% more likely in Black women than their white counterparts

her confidentiality was violated (Levine, 2011). The field of biotechnology generated billions of dollars from her cells while her family could not afford health insurance (Sharpe, 2010). HeLa cells contain many copies of human papillomavirus 18 (HPV 18), the type of cervical cancer that killed Henrietta Lacks. The HPV vaccine was developed by scientists using knowledge derived from these cells and has reduced the cases of HPV in teenage girls by 67%. Her cells were also used to help eradicate polio in most countries as they helped the vaccine become available sooner. HeLa cells have also been used by virologists to get a better understanding of how to fight viruses including HIV and zika (Samuel, 2017). However, medics should learn from this case to ensure genetic privacy and prevent this type of bias from occurring. “ The way medicine is studied exacerbates pre-existing biases and stereotypes and is a form of institutional bias. ” death. Stress also leads to pre-eclampsia which is dangerous for the developing foetus and the mother. Black women in the US have a 60% higher chance of developing pre-eclampsia than white women (Fingar, et al., 2017). The high rates of maternal mortality in women of colour are affected by implicit bias. The way medicine is studied exacerbates pre-existing biases and stereotypes and is a form of institutional bias. White women are usually used when students are practising which diminishes the opportunity to learn about differences (Sowemimo, 2020). (Montagne & Martin, 2017). The high rates of preterm births are caused by stress aggravated by both racism and bias which white women do not receive. Preterm birth is a good example of the direct effect racism and bias has on the body. Heart disease and high blood pressure are the two leading causes of maternal